Pipe cutter



Feb. 2 1933.

W. S. JONES P IPE CUTTER Filed June 3, 1931' 2 Sheets-Sheet l [N VENTOR, 00%;? Jfles A TTORN Y w. s. JONES Feb. 28, 1933;

PIPE CUTTER Filed June 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2

NVENTOK, M (75/766;

I A [TOR/V512 Piitented Fee 2e; i933 wmmns soo'rriaoivns, on otiqnEAbiiymLmonhrA,Assreivongonj'rnnnnnien'rns l a N ONEEOURTH' TQ'JGHARLES" ,E.;MUNNQ IBOT1IiOE LOlYG' o jnLMonE-m: terms "AND:

nnecn, cAnInomvmr i x I This i11vention.relates ito oiltoolstand rparticularly to a tool of the typelmownf as an outside cutter.

t Cutters" are utilized 1 oil field", practice for the purpose of severing pipe zwithin I a well holei Qften pipe becomes'frozen due j to var ous causes-and where-1t becomes neci essary to remove apart of the tubing and it is impossible to clislodgeiit, cutters are often brought-into use. The cutter; will severthe tubing at" thev zone desired,-': Whereupon lengths "or stands ofthe tubing may heremoved from the well 'holev- I The present invention contemplatesa cutter of -inexpensive design,1havin g:fevv operating'parts'and practically no element liable to'be subjected to damage or breakage;

' -=-In its-simplest embodiment, the invention provides one or 'moreicutter blades swin'g3 jin'gly suspended from the--cutterr body;

7 Withinthe cutter'body is]a friction sleeve having one or more elements forfriction ally engaging the fish. This friction;

sleeve andcutter bodyare both screw-threaded at one end to a guide shoe and such a manner that the friction body ma'yibe --rotate'd to in.turnrrotatetheguide shoe and thev cutter body willtcausetheshlades to; out.

resides 1 .in the blade factuating fmeans. This;

blade actuating means includesan aimwhich" Y may he-slightly resili'ent 'aandaiwhicharm,

. 7' throughthe medium of acompressionspringti- OIKtllG like, is-adapted to be held againstp ordinary}movementtothe end that said arm does not float; t The cutter blade is so shaped that the arm-When. moved iwill engage-back :01; the cutter blade andcam fthe cutter hlade into fis g gement, I

V From the brief descriptionjust givenrit will he seen that few elements are :utilized.

,onthe line 9i 9 ofFigur 'g; t H e I t theiimpi oved plpe cutter is shown ,at in; Figure '1, and

1931.: seen n 5411801. 7

in the practice *ofthis 3' invention, and aca cordingly onejo'f {the objects of the-inven-j y tioniiszto reduceithenumber tof*operating ;y j I parts, tothe endthat' ac'utter may be manufacturedand sold atlajreasonable price;

it'quickly is easily 7 released from work, after a cutting operation; andrwhich is generally' superior to cutters now-known tofthejini ventory.

1 With the above and? other objects in view, the inventionconsists-in the'jnovel' and use i ful' provision; formation, construction, as- I sociation, and relative arrangementtof parts; members and featuresgallas' shown infa leertain embodiment in the accompanying draw- :particu-; I

ings sdescribed -generally,= and more larly pointed .i out in a the claims.-

Inthedrawings-z;

.2 fF-igure 1 is a fragmentaryelevation time i improved cutter attached placedinfatwell hole,

I to tubing and tional vietvon therline of \Figure' 1;

(Figure; 3 isaia' View similar: to Figure' 2,,

partsfbeing in changed relation, f I 1 x n jFlgure-4 is a cross sectional view on line HofFigureSZy Q line 5 v-5 of:Figu1-e:3,-.r 5 I v e I Figure 7,6 is a. sectional view on the, line 65-6 0fFjgnre12,-

w 'h' v f i. Figure} is a; fragmentary sectional iviewi onthe:linYJiofFigure5, 57 FigureSis a view similar to changed 'reIati nQ and;

The v invention contemplates among its. further objects a cutter which is :fool-iproof ingoperation, "performs 'the'lvv'ork required I of ."J'Fi'gure Q is anenlargedfragmentarvsecl75 I g fi a cross s'ectionalview-'onthe H g -M cutterand itsi actuating -member' being t Referring the drawings;

pp d y-in nYposition where itisftocut or sevefpipe, suchkas shown at ;--,The pipe 1 "is lowered from the surface of the well and l likewise adapted tjo'fbe' rotated throughsuit, H

ablefmechanismi-at .vvellsurface in orderfi i it tantly spaced slots are shown in-Figuresl and 5. A cutter blade 27 is swinging'ly fitted that the pipe cutter may perform a cutting operation upon the fish.

Referring to Figure 2,-the improved cutter includes a cutter body 4; cylindrical in form. The said cutter body-is enlarged from a thickness standpoint fora zone inward from one end thereof, as shown at 5, and likewise provided with a box 6.- As is-cusromary, the said box contemplatesa slightly tapered bore, the walls of which are screwthrea'dedfor engagement with threads on the pipe 3'. The opposite end of the cutter body. is likewise screw-threaded, as shown at 7 for threaded engagement with a shoe 8. This shoe is enlarged at 9 while the remaining annular portion-1O is reduced as to thickness so as to present: a flush surface between the periphery of the shoe and: the cutterbody when the two are joined together, The inner surface of the part 10 is provided with square type threads 11. AsleeVe 1-2 has an offset portion 13 with respect to a portion 141 and the offset. portion is provided with square type threads 15 .for engagement. with the threads-11L This, ofiset. portion provides a shoulder 16 and due to the reduced width of the part 10 relative to the part 9, a shoulder is provided at 17. Thus, when the sleeve is in the position shown in Figure 2, one end thereofwill abut against the'shoulder 17 and the:upper endof the part 10 will abut against the. shoulder-16 of the sleeve. The opposite end or the sleeve is enlarged at 18 and pro: vided at its end; with an annular concave groove 19. It will be seen that a shoulder is provided at 20 between said enlargement 18 and the body 14 of the sleeve. Between the shoulder 20 and. a shoulder 21 formed by providing the ofiset in the saidisleeve, I" place one ormore bowed leaf springs 22. In the present instance,.a plurality of said springs are provided, as: best illustrated in Figure 6, and said springs are held in position at bothrendsto thesleeve by the tie'pin s'23. The leaf springs are provided with enlarged transverseiopenings 241 with whicha head or each pin engages and insuch a manner as to perinit relatively nee movement; of the leaf springs when engaging the. fishwl Furthermore, the work engaging faces orsurfaces of the leaf springs may be transverselycurved in the manner shown at25, so as to secure a bettergrip upon thew ork which,

in this instance, is the fisl1 Theenl'argedportion 5 of the cutter body as well as a portion of the body itself is' longitudinally and; transversely slotted at 26. One or more of s aid slots26 may be provided and, in the present: instance, three equidiswithina slot 26. The cutterblade includes an elongated member, one portion of which is transversely bored at 28 i (see Figure?) and? through WhlCll bore "and bores cont'ained in the body, as shown at 29 and 30, a pin .31 is passed for the purpose of anchoring or holding the blade to the body. The outer surfaceof the blade is curved at 32 so as to conform to'the general curvature of the periphery of the cutter body. The cutter blade is longer than the length of the slot in the body :and the said blade has its nose or tip portion inclined or at an angle to what may be termed the backof the blade, as shown at 33, the back being the portion designated as 32. Furthermore,-the lnner edge portion of the blade is given a gradual curve at 3a. The

cutting edge of. the blade is, of course, at its blade point 35 and likewise along the curved portion. 34. i

There would be one actuating means for each blade provided in the cutter and as, in

the present instance, there are three of said blades, there would be three of said actuating means. The blade actuating means are slightly spaced from: the-cutter blades to be actuated; The arm of said blade actuating meansris tapered at 39.

The operation, uses and advantages of the I inventionjust described are as follows:

Itwill be noted that each blade is adapted for swinging movement inwardly of the cutter body. *The inclined portion of the nose will abut against the wall bounding the lowermost portion of the slot, and thus limit outward swinging movement of the blade. If we assume that the cutter has been lowered within a well hole through the medium of tubing 3 and in such a manner as to surround the tubing 2 which constitutes the fish, it will be observed, as shown in Figure 2, that the leaf springs of the sleeve will engage the periphery of the fish; Having reached the zone that it is desiredto sever the fish, the tubing 3 is then rotated, inthe present instance clockwise, and which clockwise movement will start an unthreading between the sle'eve'12 and the guide 8. Either the tubing may be lowered as the unthreading occurs,

or the tubing 3 may be simply rotated, in which instance the sleeve 12 would gradually raise within the cutter body, untillthe lowermost end or'ends of each blade or arm 36 of the cutter actuating means engages the groove 19 on the'upperend of the sleeve. When this occurs, further upward movement-of .thesleeve will cause the arms to norrnallyhold'each cutter against movement. It is -V-obvious' that fVfliiOllSl changes jand i r modifications and'varia'tions may be made in practicing the i'nv'entionindeparture'from -.,the particular showing :ofthe drawings withe Iout, however, departing froni the, true spirit r Y @Swing from the' substantially vertieal -posi-., tion shown" inFigure Q to various angles of inclination to vertical as,'fo'r instance, shown in Figure3'. It'will; be n'oted that this will occur, due to thelfactthat the cutter body is being rotated. androtation will, of course,

carry the cutter actuatingmeans therewith sothat the said cutter actuating rneans will will be Observed that each blade of this cutter actuating means is, beveled at 39 and willen+ gage the inclined'portion-of the nose of each assume apositionas shown in FigureB. It

' cutter blade. This engagement, as the cutter actuating means gradually assumes greater and greater inclination, will force each cutter 20, as the I cutter body is rotated, the friction blade into cutting engagement withthe $fish,

in the manner illustrated in 1 both Figures 3 sleeve is gradually fed upwardlywithin the 7 said body, or toiadopt an opp site, notation,

the sleeve remains substantially zstationary, the body rotatingf'and moving. downwardlythe result of course being thesarne, andthe cutter blade is progressivelyo moved inwardly and progressivelycuts" the fishfi Ari-operator at:,-'.vthe surface'of the well can, of

e inent occurs, so far asthe cutter'bladesare course, tell whenthe ffi'sh is completely cut. through, particularly if any Ipull is placed upon the fishl at thesurfaceofthe well; It will be observed Kithat' f the 7 cutter actuating means are partially 'flekible so as 'to'bend' readily, asshown inFigure 5,' dufring rotationofthe cutter'body. After acutting operation has been completed,itiis a simple;

matter to reverse turningmovementof the cutter body which, of -course,,will cause the sleeve to be re-threadedto the shoe or guide r 8. Of course, pressure exertedyagainst the blade will tend to pufsh the blade outwardly; from the "cut fish {and this movement is communicated to the blade actuating mecha; nism to in turn cam the blade actuating mechanismback to it s originalpositionfasy of the sleeve, as is self -eevidenti" I In order' to assure that, noswingin'g' move concerned, during :a' lowering of the cutter,

I I mayplac'e va-little Waste or. a Q frangible member in each sloti26 such a manner asto bear agalnst a oport onao'f each cutter and said body;

ofthe invention.

llc'laim: h p e 1L A cutter, having inl combination abody, a cutter blade swingingly carried by the body,

a swing arm'securedto' the body adjacent the my v cutter blade, and a sleeve-within the bodypro-i I vided with a spring for frictionally engaging a thezework to be cut,i,said sleeve and said body being" so ,relatedthat'rotation of the body in one 'directioncauses telescopicmovelnent of Q the'sleeve withinthebodyto bring the sleeve within said'body and threaded to said'guide, r

a springdcarried' by the sleevewforffrictional P f engagement with work tobe cut,,a s wing cut- 'ter'blade' carried by the body, and a swing same into work engagement.

by, cutter actuating, means 'comprisinga i and a cutterblade swin'ging ly carriedftheref swing arm pinned to said body adjacent the arm adjacent 'saidcutter'blade and'fastene g a r 'to said body, rotation of said ,body causingj an un-screwing of said sleeve from the guide 'whennthe said spring :is in frictional engage-y A ment with work to-{move said sleeveinto en 9 1 gagement withsaid. arm, said arm in*turnf contactingwith said'cutter blade to force the;

cutter iblade,imeans for, operating the cutter j actuating means, said swing arm being adapts; ed to contact witha side of said cutter .uponf1- actuation of said last means tojforcethe cut- 'ter inwardly of the body when saidarm as sumeslfan inclination relative to the axis of '4, A cutter,

blade inwardly-'ofthe'body;

longitudinally er saidiibody when the said no 5 I havingincombination: a c''utter body, formedfwitha slot, a cutter blade in 'part confine d within;-; ai1- 1ot, saidcutter 1 "blade'having a nose portio'n, provided with} u an inclined part,-:andcutter actuating means 7 5? comprising an arm swingingly mounted to j said' body at a zone adjacent the-cutter blade,v -1Il6&l'lS-fOI operating the cutter actuating means, said cutter blade "beingadapted for l V movementto conta'ctwith the inclined part l of the nose ,ofsaid blade to ;move-. the "said body is rotated, to Cause skid arm to engage "the inclined part of the cutter blade'and move the same inwardly of the saidbody.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name Vtorthis specification at Signal Hill, California, this 22nd day of May, 1931.

WINFIELD SQOTT J- NESJ 

